Bakkerus soaks up the pressure for big first win

Auckland’s Hayden Bakkerus soaked up race long pressure from Josh Bethune and Hugo Allan to take the chequered flag at Taupo this afternoon – his first win and the first ever win in the Bridgestone GR86 Championship.

It was a lights-to-flag victory for the pole position holder, but it was far from comfortable for the 19-year-old. Having knocked the tracking of his steering out after a big kerb strike early on, he had to defend from a charging pack that was never far behind.

Fellow front-row Josh Bethune looked most likely to challenge, particularly early on, but he had moved a few centimetres early as the lights went out and was carrying a penalty throughout the race for a jumped start.

Ultimately it was Hugo Allan who took up the challenge of passing Bakkerus, and as the race wore on it looked like he might be able to do it with his excellent race pace, but Hayden had him covered.

“It wasn’t an easy race by any means, particularly as I bent the steering early on,” explained Bakkerus afterwards.

“It’s a tough car to pass in, and there are really only two good places to pass which are turn one and turn eleven. Fortunately I had enough speed through those corners and on the exits of both to make it very hard for those behind me. Hugo was strong and I had to work hard to keep him behind but again I was strong enough in the two corners that matter most.”

Allan was a very satisfied second, having made a pass on Bethune on lap four and then edged closer and closer to the race leader. “The car was great, the tyres were consistent and my race pace was strong. The team have done a great job and I’m pretty happy with that result. Hayden was a bit too strong this afternoon, but I’m very happy where we are.”

In a very close pack, Bethune’s penalty cost him dearly and he dropped from third on the road to eighth in the final results. Chris White took the final place on the podium on debut, having been in the main pack at the front from the start in what was largely an uneventful, but impressive, first race for the newcomer. A podium on his championship and series debut, and top rookie in the first race, was nevertheless well-deserved, especially as he passed his main rookie rival Zach Blincoe on lap five.

Blincoe took fourth with yet another impressive debut, while series veteran Justin Allen fought off a tight-knit pack behind him for fifth.

Cooper Barnes was top of the three Australians in the field in sixth just ahead of fellow Aussie, the impressive Alice Buckley. A one-off appearance saw her carve her way well into the top ten at a track she excelled on last season. Rookie Emerson Vincent took ninth behind Bethune on his series debut, while Masters champ John Penny, who had his elbows out on his way to another class win and top ten finish.

In the nose to tail battle pack behind the leading five, there were some notable performances. Cormac Murphy put a miserable qualifying session behind him to move from 20^th on the grid through to an impressive 13^th at the flag, no mean feat in a field of 25 cars that was covered by just 22 seconds after the eight lap race.

Sunday brings races two and three, with the usual reverse top 10 format second race putting Penny and Vincent on the front row. That will be followed by the afternoon’s feature race.

2024-2025 Bridgestone GR86 Championship – Round 1 Race 1